Saturday, 31 July 2010

So this week I have had to cope with the jealousy of seeing the metal clay part of my Facebook friends list reporting back from the PMC Conference in Purdue.

The first exciting peice of news was the launch of Bronzclay Fast Fire. I can't wait to try this out. I need to use quite a substantial amount of bronze for one of my Masters Registry Projects, but I had allowed for multiple firings as it would probably need cracks to be repaired. Well, the Fast Fire forumla apparently addresses the issue of joints cracking, so that is a real bonus for me! It's a lovely consistency to work with as well reportedly so I really am looking forward to having a play with it.

The next exciting piece of news is the launch of PMC Pro. There isn't much information available on this at the moment, but it launches in October and is 90% silver. The feedback has been that it is STRONG! I've heard a story of one tester hitting their finished pieces with a hammer and they haven't broken! So this really is an exciting development.

The one concern I have at the moment is the hallmarking issue, but I'm sure there will be some ideas over the coming months about that. Its just a shame we have to wait until October!!

So all in all, I am very jealous of the lovely time everyone seems to be having - and even more jealous when I think of all the shopping going on in the Vendors Hall!!!!

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

I've been registered since April 2009 and finally I've cut out my first pieces for a Masters Registry project!!

I decided quite a while ago that I wanted to theme each of my levels, so the theme for Level 1 is "wings". I've decided on my first 10 projects, although I'm being fairly open minded about that and if inspiration hits for a different project I'll change it around!

So I've started working on A3 Syringe Project. The idea for this project hit me quite quickly, so thought I'd go with that and strike while the iron is hot! I need to "Make a pendant and matching earrings that demonstrate design and application skills that take advantage of syringe clay".

I'm going to keep my actual design a secret for now I think! But so far, it seems to be going well, but thats probably because I haven't started the syringe detail yet!

Thursday, 22 July 2010

I've been busy working on the new class schedule from September to December. I don't particularly like this job! I'd rather be teaching, than planning!!

I'm quite pleased with the way its come together though, and as well as having Fi carrying on with the chainmaille classes, I also have Louise joining me to teach tiara and fascinator making classes. Here's a peek at the tiara she'll be teaching

I've also added a beginners PMC evening class. It'll run over 6 weeks and we'll cover all the basics, make pendants, earrings and we'll also cover ring making. You can see more info and the dates on the website HERE

Friday, 16 July 2010

So, as discussed yesterday, I decided last night that I would go through my designs and notes so far for the Masters Registry.

Now my background is admin and accounts - I am usually an organised person. However to say that my notes were disorganised is an under statement!!! In the creative areas of my life I do allow my organised side to take a bit of a back seat, but even so this was beyond it!

I have now managed to at least rescue all the loose bits of paper and sort them into some sort of order, I know that I had other designs and drawings somewhere - so will have a hunt around at the studio this weekend. I have bought some folders and files and will get a plan sorted this weekend - I'm allowing my organised side to come to the front!

I think the MR definitely requires an element of organisation. I have decided on my first 10 projects for Level 1 but I have a tendency to flit so need to keep the other project info to hand in case I decide to swap things around.

I'm working on some new beads to put up in my Etsy Shop - they're pretty much finished, just need kiln firing over the weekend. They are a bit different for me, but hopefully they'll be well received! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share with you soon

Thursday, 15 July 2010

As I mentioned over on my old blog, I am registered on the Masters Registry. The trouble is I have been since April 2009!!!!!

I have designed a number of projects but how many have I either started to make, or finished - NONE!!!

I've had a couple of days where I've been thinking long and hard about this - I am desperate to see if I can pass a level, so I really need to get cracking. I'm going to spend some time this weekend, going back through all my notes - which I'm ashamed to say have ended up in a completely disorganised mess, and I'm going to try to dedicate some time each week to work on the MR.

Its so hard to fit everything in at the moment but I know that the MR is a target I really want to strive for, so watch this space!!

Friday, 9 July 2010

Yes, I've been AWOL! My hand turned out to be quite painful and so typing has been tricky!

I made a trip to A&E last week, nothing is broken but I have damaged the tendons in my hand and arm. So I think it'll be a few weeks before I'm back to normal. I'm trying to keep it moving, but nothing too strenuous.

So, what have I been up to? Well, my Etsy store needed a bit of attention. I have a new store and had no Bio written and no Terms and Conditions. So I've put that in place.

I've been playing around with ideas for buttons, so here's a sneak peek!

They are ceramic buttons which I've covered with PMC and then added UV resin. I'm quite pleased with this, so am going to get to work on some more!

About Me

I am a jewellery designer and tutor and I live in a beautiful part of South Wales.
I work primarily with metal clays in silver, copper and bronze but I have to add splashes of colour whenever the mood takes me! Enamel, gemstones and glass are my favourites.
As well as my range of jewellery, I create fingerprint jewellery which I really enjoy. I definitely didn't set out to run a fingerprint jewellery business but after seeing so many badly made pieces locally I just had to get out there and show them how it's done!